Puppy Weight by Age: Growth Chart for Each Size
Updated October 2026 · Growth percentages: Salt et al. 2017, PLOS ONE (WALTHAM puppy growth standards) · Adult weight anchors: AKC breed standards
Puppies do not grow at one steady rate, and the size they will end up matters more than the calendar. A useful way to read it: at 6 months, a toy-breed puppy is roughly 81% of its adult weight, a small breed about 77%, a medium breed about 74%, and a large breed about 66%. Toy breeds finish growing at 8 to 12 months; large breeds can take up to 24 months.
The reason most "puppy weight chart" pages mislead is that they show a single weight per age, as though a 6-month-old is a 6-month-old. A Chihuahua and a Great Dane at six months are not on the same curve, and neither is a puppy that is meant to be small versus one that is simply growing slowly. The two tables below work the other way round: start from the puppy's likely adult size, then look at what share of that it should have reached.
Table 1: share of adult weight reached, by age and size
| Age | Toy | Small | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 weeks (3 months) | ~45% | ~40% | ~35% | ~28% |
| 16 weeks (4 months) | ~59% | ~54% | ~49% | ~41% |
| 6 months | ~81% | ~77% | ~74% | ~66% |
| 9 months | ~100% | ~95% | ~92% | ~88% |
| 12 months | 100% | 100% | ~99% | ~96% |
Source and caveat. These percentages are rounded milestones derived from published canine growth-chart data — chiefly the WALTHAM growth standards (Salt et al. 2017, PLOS ONE, open access). Published sources differ from each other by several percentage points, and individual breeds vary more than that. Read the table as a trend, not a target.
Table 2: what that looks like in kilograms
Pick the row closest to your puppy's expected adult weight, then read across. (Adult anchors are midpoints of AKC breed-standard ranges: toy ≈ 3 kg / 6.6 lb, small ≈ 8 kg / 18 lb, medium ≈ 18 kg / 40 lb, large ≈ 30 kg / 66 lb.)
| Adult size | 12 weeks | 6 months | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toy (~3 kg / 6.6 lb) | ~1.4 kg | ~2.4 kg | 3 kg |
| Small (~8 kg / 18 lb) | ~3.2 kg | ~6.2 kg | 8 kg |
| Medium (~18 kg / 40 lb) | ~6.3 kg | ~13.3 kg | ~17.8 kg |
| Large (~30 kg / 66 lb) | ~8.4 kg | ~19.8 kg | ~28.8 kg |
These figures are arithmetic from Table 1 against the adult anchor — nothing more. They describe typical growth timing across a size category, not what any one puppy "should" weigh.
The number on the scale is the least useful of the four checks
A single weight tells you very little on its own, because two puppies of the same age and the same expected adult size can sit several kilograms apart and both be perfectly healthy. Four checks beat one number:
- The rib check. Run your fingers along the ribcage with light pressure. You should feel ribs easily under a thin layer — not see them from across the room, and not have to press to find them. The same check is set out on the body condition page.
- The trend, not the reading. Weigh the same puppy on the same scale every 2 to 4 weeks. A curve that keeps climbing at roughly the same angle is the signal; one reading is noise.
- Body shape. A visible waist from above and a slight tuck from the side. Puppies go through a gangly, leggy stage around 3 to 4 months, which is normal and not a sign of being underweight.
- Feeding behaviour. Steady appetite, steady stools, steady energy for their age.
If a puppy's line flattens, drops across two or more of the milestones in Table 1, or it stops gaining weight for two consecutive weigh-ins, that is a conversation with your vet — not a reason to change the bowl by yourself. Intestinal parasites and other problems produce exactly this pattern and are common in the first year.
Feeding is a separate calculation
Growth charts tell you whether the puppy is on track; they do not tell you how much to feed. Puppies need substantially more calories per kilogram than adults, and the amount changes as they grow — our puppy feeding schedule by age has the amounts by weight and month, and the breed calculator works out a daily figure from weight and activity. As a rough sense of scale: a puppy under four months needs about 3.0 × resting energy, and from four to twelve months about 2.0 × — against 1.6× for a typical neutered adult.
Two mistakes are worth naming. Free-feeding a large-breed puppy because "they are still growing" is how growth gets too fast, which is associated with joint problems later. And cutting a puppy's food because it looks chunky at four months ignores that it is about to have a growth spurt — judge by body condition and by the trend, not by the bowl.
Frequently asked questions
How much should my puppy weigh at 6 months?
It depends on the adult size more than on the age. At 6 months a toy-breed puppy is typically around 81% of its adult weight, a small breed about 77%, a medium breed about 74%, and a large breed about 66%. So a puppy expected to reach 30 kg as an adult is usually around 19.8 kg at six months — but individual breeds vary by more than a few percentage points either way.
Is my puppy growing too fast or too slow?
Weight alone cannot tell you. Use the rib check and the trend: if the puppy keeps gaining at a similar rate between weigh-ins and its ribs are easy to feel under a thin layer, growth is on track. A line that flattens or drops across two consecutive weigh-ins needs a vet. Growing too fast is its own risk, particularly in large breeds, where rapid growth is associated with joint problems later.
My puppy is younger than 12 weeks — what should I use?
This table starts at 12 weeks, and that is deliberate: below 12 weeks growth varies far too much between individual puppies for a percentage to mean anything useful, and the published growth standards do not cover it. Record the weight weekly on the same scale, note it alongside food intake, body condition and stools, and let your vet assess the trend at the first vaccination visits. A steady weekly gain is the useful signal at that age — not a number from a chart.
Do small and large breeds really grow at different speeds?
Yes, and by a lot. Toy breeds generally reach their adult weight between 8 and 12 months. Large breeds continue growing for much longer — up to around 24 months in the biggest dogs. That is why the same age means a very different share of adult weight depending on the size the puppy is heading for, and why a single weight-per-age chart cannot serve both.
Source
Growth percentages: Salt C, Morris PJ, German AJ, Wilson D, Lund EM, Cole TJ, Butterwick RF (2017). Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in dogs of different sizes. PLOS ONE 12(9): e0182064 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0182064, open access) — WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, University of Liverpool and Banfield Pet Hospital, based on records from more than six million young dogs. That study covers puppies from 12 weeks and breeds up to about 40 kg as adults, which is why this page does the same. Adult weight anchors: American Kennel Club breed standards (midpoints of published adult ranges). Energy factors: this site's calculator, which follows the NRC energy equations. This page is general information, not veterinary medical advice.
Related on this site: puppy feeding schedule by age · puppy calorie needs · calorie calculator by breed · body condition score · feeding chart by weight